Anochetus traegaordhi Mayr

Listing as in Bolton (1995: 66)

Type locality Sudan (Anochetus traegaordhi nov. spec., Mayr, 1904b: 2, single worker) Khartoum - no images on Antweb (March 2019)
junior synonyms
angusticornis (Anochetus angusticornis n. sp., Arnold, 1946: 56, worker & queen) from Zimbabwe - see below
gracilicornis (Anochetus gracilicornis n.sp., Viehmeyer, 1923: 87, illustrated, worker; synonymy by Brown, 1978c: 559) from Sudan, Renk, 20.iv.1914 - see below
sudanicus (Anochetus sudanicus, sp. nov., Weber, 1942a: 47, illustrated, worker; junior synonym of gracilicornis by Brown, 1964d: 215; synonymy by Brown, 1978c: 559) from South Sudan, east base of Mt Imatong
silvaticus (Anochetus silvaticus n. sp., Bernard, 1952: 212, illustrated, worker & queen; synonymy by Brown, 1964d: 215) from Guinea, Mt. Nimba collections - see below
worker and queen described (see Bolton, 1995) .

Mayr's (1904b) description is at . Viehmeyer's (1923) description of gracilicornis, with illustration of funiculus, is at . Weber's (1942a) description of sudanicus is at . Arnold's (1946) description of angusticornis is at . Bernard's (1952) description of silvaticus is at . Brown's (1964d) note, is at . Brown's (1978) notes, under the ghilianii complex, are at .

WORKER - No more than a summary description was given by Brown (1978: 559, illustrated), who places it in the very variable ghilianii group. Main features as in key, especially the shortness of the frontal striation on the head. A medium-sized species with medium-sized eyes (0.20-0.35 mm).

Bernard (1952: 212), describing silvaticus, gave - TL 5.3-6.4 mm; colour yellow-orange, slightly browner on the mid-gaster. Integument with minute but very dense striations on the anterior third of the head, the mandibles, and all the thorax, except for areas on the sides of the pronotum and mesopleuron; rest of mesopleuron and propodeum flanks matt. Petiole, gaster, tarsi and posterior of head shiny, almost smooth save for reticulation on the posterior angles of the head. Sparse white pubescence all over. Head rather short, analogous to that of africanus in size, but less indented, and with less prominent supraantennal lobes. Propodeum long, matt, and very flat dorsally. Petiole scale conical, not indented on the summit, yellow and shiny. Described related species as having the sides of the thorax very smooth and the petiole scale bifid.

Collingwood (1985) noted - eye about 0.16 X HW, mesonotum not striate, petiole tapering to a dorsal crest. The specimens were from Saudi Arabia, foraging on the surface under bushy scrub.

The illustrations given here suggest that the synonymy of the pale and darker forms is questionable but it is outside the scope of this website to comment further.

In his first consideration, Brown (1964d: 215) synonymised sudanicus (the holotype) with gracilicornis, noting a syntype of the latter was a little darker in colour.  He also synonymised silvaticus (a cotype) with the type of A. traegaordhi and a worker from Stanleyville, Congo, determied as traegaordhi by Forel.

Distribution of specimens recorded by Brown (1978c) was sub-Saharan, south to Angola and Zimbabwe. From West Africa there were three workers from Ghana, at CRIG, in a rotten log (B. Bolton), notable as having relatively narrow heads (CI 84, eye length 0.20 mm).

Brown (1978) did not report Bernard's (1952) records. One worker (as holotype of silvaticus) and one queen from Ivory Coast; station H 5 (13.vii.1945, Delamare-Debouteville). One worker from Guinea, station B 8.10, Zouépo, forest, 1215 m (Lamotte), slightly larger and darker than Ivory Coast form.

In his key to European and African species, Brown (1978: 571, couplet 16) separated Anochetus ghilianii (Morocco, S. Spain) from traegaordhi (W. Africa, Sudan and Eritrea S to Angola and Rhodesia) by compound eye size: ghilianii 0.18-0.22 in greatest diameter, tragaeordhi 0.20 mm in greatest diameter. No type images of either traegaordhi or ghilianii on Antweb (September 2014). His commentary ([26], pp 598-600] is little more than an admission of defeat in attempting to separate the various forms and he simply lumped all sub-Saharan specimens under traegaordhi because of "a bewildering range of variation in a number of traits, including body size, eye size, gracility of antennae, abundance and erectness of pilosity and pubescence, sculpture of vertex and pronotum, and size and shape".

The ghilianii cameroni, sylvaticus and Niakafiri-5-viii-09 have distinct suberect pubescence on the mandibles.

Yellow-brown forms

The photomontage of an angusticornis paratype is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0902453

The photomontage of a gracilicornis type is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0915168

The photomontage is of the holotype of Anochetus sudanicus Weber (1942a). The original photographs, together with enlarged images, are from the MCZ, Harvard University, website at http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/mcz/FMPro?-DB=Image.fm&-Lay=web&-Format=images.htm&Species_ID=26107&-Find.

The photomontage is adapted from the Antweb.org site at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=SAM-HYM-C001378B Collection Information: Locality South Africa: Natal: Mkuze Game Reserve, below Mantuma; 27°36'00"S 032°13'00"E 60 m; Collection codes: SAM-HYM-C001378; Date: 16 Oct 1998; Collected by: H.G. Robertson; Method: saw nest/nest entrance Habitat: riverine, woodland

The photomontage is of a worker specimen collected from Senegal, Tambacounda; collector B Ndiaye.

Red-brown forms

The photomontage of the silvaticus type is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0913742

Oxford University Museum specimens

Anochetus traegaordhi B Taylor det.

Cameroun A Fotso Kuate Anochetus sp1

20.ix.2007 Awae II 03°54'30" N 11°25'58" E

Quadrat in forest

1

The photomontage is of a worker specimen collected from Cameroun, Awae; collector A Fotso Kuate (Anochetus sp1)

The photomontage is collated from http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0408018
Collection details - Locality: Central African Republic: Prefecture Sangha-Mbaéré; Parc National Dzanga-Ndoki, 37.9 km 169° S Lidjombo; 02°22'14"N 016°10'21"E, 360m. Collection Information: Collection codes: BLF4130. Date: 20-28 May 2001. Collected by: B.L.Fisher. Method: EC19 sifted litter. Habitat: rainforest .Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m Transect Sample No.: 08

The photomontage is adapted from the Antweb.org site at http://www.antweb.org/specimen.do?name=casent0010781 This specimen seems a better match to the original description by Mayr (1904b) than the form drawn by Brown (1978). Collection Information: Anochetus n. sp. gab-03 (Specimen Images): Specimen Code CASENT0010781: Locality Gabon: Ogooue-Maritime: Reserve de Faune de la Moukalaba-Dougoua, 12.2 km 305° NW Doussala; 02°19'00"S 010°32'00"E 110 m; Collection codes: BLF02122; Date: 24 Feb 2000; Collected by: B.L.Fisher Method: EC19 sifted litter; Habitat: rainforest; Transect Type: MW 50 sample transect, 5m; Transect Sample No.: 44